The Imp Within
by Winekita
Summary: Set a little while after BoO. After an accident involving emposai, Leo suddenly becomes angry and hostile. Jason, Piper, and Calypso don't know what is going on with him, and one night he goes too far… Inspired by Teen Titans episode "The Beast Within". T because it's a nice letter. COMPLETE!
1. Ambush

**_So, I was watching Teen Titans today and the episode 'Beast Within' where Beast Boy (in case you didn't know, just imagine a green Leo that has Frank powers :P) goes berserk gave me an idea._**

**_This story takes place after BoO. It's not set in my usual Leo-disappears-for-years-universe. This is basically a while after Leo takes Calypso back to camp. Doesn't matter how long he was gone, or how they got to camp after Leo rescued Calypso, just know they're at camp now._**

**_Also, let's say Calypso is mortal. Use your imagination on how that happened, because it's not important to this story._**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon. As said before, inspiration behind this story goes to Teen Titans season 3/episode 9/ The Beast Within.**_

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><p><em><strong>~THE IMP WITHIN~<strong>_

**Ambush**

"Watch out!"

Jason Grace dodged the _empousa_ attack with millimeters to spare. Her claws raked against the alley wall, cutting deep.

Jason stabbed her through with his sword and she disintegrated.

"Thanks," he shouted, though it was cut short. Another _empousa_ took her place and sparred with him.

A few feet away, Piper McLean (aka his girlfriend) was going toe-to-toe with a couple of her own _emposai_. She was doing really well with Katropis, dodging and stabbing like she had rehearsed this with the vampires.

At the end of the alley was an inferno—more commonly known as Leo Valdez. He had the most _emposai_ surrounding him, though he was holding them back easily enough. Even though they had fire for hair, they seemed to shy away from Leo when he burst into flames. He laughed as he smashed their faces with hammers.

Jason could hear him shout, "HA! Take that! Sorry, ladies, this guy's taken!"

Jason rolled his eyes and struck at the next _empousa_. They had been ambushed, of course, on their way back from Camp Jupiter. It was a kind of friendship adventure—they had all three gone to the Roman camp to oversee some shrine repairs (though Leo didn't like leaving his girlfriend Calypso). It was technically Jason's job, but Piper had insisted they all go together, just like old times.

On their return journey, they had gotten a call from CHB. There had been a distress call for a half-blood rescue in downtown New York. They had found her, a young girl by the name of Kelly. She was lying unconscious near Leo, knocked out by one of the _empousa_ near the beginning of the battle.

Jason dodged another attack, pleased to see Piper once again by his side. Neither of them heralded serious injuries—a scratch or two, nothing bad—so that was good.

Suddenly, Leo yelped. His fire sputtered out and Jason saw him and Kelly's body disappear under a mound of shrieking _emposai_. Jason and Piper slashed like crazy at each of the vampires.

Leo screamed under the mass. It was a heart-stopping kind of scream that made the son of Jupiter shiver slightly. Jason slashed another _empousa_ before finally seeing Leo. The son of Hephaestus was on the ground, lying on his side. His neck was swollen and bloody, and he was unconscious.

Piper wailed and struck like lightning at the remaining _emposai_. Jason grabbed Leo and dragged him to safety. He started applying pressure to Leo's neck, causing the son of Hephaestus to groan.

Piper was suddenly next to him. Jason glanced down the alley and realized Piper had killed all of the monsters in the alley.

_My girlfriend rocks_, he noted as she fed some ambrosia to Leo. The Latino sputtered and coughed. The holes in his neck closed, but the swelling got worse. Red patches surrounded the lumps and worked their way up his face.

Leo opened his eyes. They were cloudy. "Ow…" he groaned before falling unconscious again.

Jason sighed. "We need to get him to camp. Will Solace will know what to do," he said, gently maneuvering Leo onto his back. "You take Kelly. I've got Leo."

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><p><em><strong>AN: Short, and fast, I know. I can't do action as well as I do fluff, so sue me. You can probably guess what might happen if you pay attention to the title and inspiration. Spoiler alert, the story will kinda follow the inspiration's plot for a bit, but ends up a little differently after a certain point.**_

_**And I don't know how many chapters will be in this. Should be fun :3**_


	2. Awake

**_Another chapter so soon? Yay! :D_**

**_Whoop whoop! Here we go!_**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon.**_

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><p><strong>Awake<strong>

Nico di Angelo had watched as Leo struggled to stay awake. It took the poor boy two days to finally regain consciousness without muttering in Spanish incoherently.

Calypso had stayed by his side the entire time, holding his hand and urging him to wake up. When he did, they kissed, though Leo looked like he was in pain a bit when he moved his neck.

Nico stepped closer when Calypso backed off.

"I thought we'd almost lose you again," Nico said. "You came really close."

Leo smiled. "I try."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Well stop. Sensing your death isn't something I enjoy, you idiot."

For a second, Leo's eyes darkened. "Whatever," he muttered.

Nico sensed something. It happened so fast, he almost didn't catch it. Leo's temper had flared for a split second, so much the temperature in the room fluxed back and forth.

Then it subsided. Leo smiled at Calypso like nothing even happened. Nico almost brought it up, but his boyfriend (oh gods, that was still a new concept!) Will Solace entered the room.

Will grinned when he saw Leo was awake. "Hey, you're awake! Great!"

Leo nodded, but still winced at the neck movement. "Yeah. Doesn't feel great."

Will kneeled down next to the bed and started redressing Leo's neck bandage. Nico saw that his neck was still swollen and patchy. The red sores hadn't spread much farther than Leo's jaw, but they hadn't gotten better. They looked so inflamed, a couple pieces of skin had flaked off now.

Nico resisted the urge to throw up. He was glad this was _Will's_ specialty. He may deal with death, but medical stuff just made him nervous.

Will readjusted the bandages. "Okay, Leo," he said in his 'doctor voice'. "If you feel up to it, you can leave today. But no rough-housing, no heavy machinery, no fire-user stuff."

There! Nico saw it again. He saw the darkness invade Leo's eyes, like he was annoyed. The look didn't go away.

"Come on," he grumbled. "How can I build stuff if you won't let me?"

Will didn't notice the tone. "You're not letting yourself. It'll only be for a few days."

Leo's eyes darkened more. "A few days!? I'm not gonna sit still for a few stupid days!"

Calypso put a hand on his shoulder. "Leo! Settle down. I'll spend time with you. We can go on a date, maybe to the 'movies' you always talk about. How does that sound?"

Leo's dark gaze softened. "Fine," he growled.

Nico narrowed his eyes. He didn't say a word when Calypso led Leo out of the infirmary. He did hear Calypso ask Leo, "Why did you snap like that?"

As they walked out the door, Leo said, "I just don't want to be told what to do anymore."

Nico turned to Will, who was disposing of Leo's old bandages. "Did you see that?"

"Hmm?" Will asked absentmindedly. "See what?"

"Leo. He was acting…strange…"

Will waved it off. "Every child of Hephaestus I treat gets a little hotheaded when I tell them not to do big stuff. So they get a bit annoyed—so what? In a few days he'll be back on his feet and not so childish. Besides…" He looked Nico dead in the eye, a smirk playing on his lips. "I remember a certain son of Hades didn't like the three-day no-Underworldly-stuff regimen I put him on."

Nico huffed in annoyance.

Will walked over and took Nico's hand in his. Nico blushed, still feeling flustered at such closeness. "I don't know…" he mumbled. "That wasn't like Leo. Maybe he's suffering from some sort of reaction from the _empousa_ bite?"

Will shrugged. "I've never met a person who has been bitten by an _empousa_ and survived. The wound isn't infected, and the sores will probably go away in time. There's nothing more I can do."

Nico nodded. "Alright."

He stared at the doorway in which Leo and Calypso had exited.

_Maybe he's right,_ he thought. _Leo's probably fine…_

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><p><em><strong>AN: Hey, look! I actually did a Nico POV! :o It felt weird. Did that please you usual fangirls that complain I don't do enough Nico? :P Don't be expecting more of that, cause I plan to do a POV for other characters as well. :)**_


	3. Angry

**_Three in one day? Whoot whoot! I'm on a roll!_**

**_And this one's a bit longer than the last two chapters :D_**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon.**_

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><p><strong>Angry<strong>

The next few days did not see Leo any less temperamental. In fact, the more time passed, the angrier he seemed to get. Everyone noticed. Mostly because it was affecting everyone.

If someone other than Calypso got too close to him, he'd freak out.

"Get away," he'd scream. "You're in my space!"

If someone told him to calm down?

"Get out of my face!"

If someone stole the last piece of pizza at lunch?

"You'd better give that here. I'll incinerate you if you don't."

If someone bested him at a video game?

"How dare you! You cheated!" He would then proceed to try and punch the person.

Poor Calypso was the only one who seemed to be able to settle the son of Hephaestus down. But even then it wasn't much. Leo always looked like he was about to catch fire, his eyes permanently dark with anger.

Annabeth had been reading a really interesting book when it happened.

She was busy with her nose stuck in the book to notice where she was going. Leo was walking towards her—not _to_ her, just to somewhere behind her.

They bumped against each other, effectively knocking the book out of Annabeth's hands. Perhaps Leo was in a better mood, or he decided not to care. He didn't even growl at the daughter of Athena for getting so close to him. He just kept walking away.

"Sorry," Annabeth mumbled as she picked up her fallen book.

"You'd better be," Leo snarled, still walking away.

"On second thought," she said, louder. "I'm not sorry. You're just a jerk."

Oh, _that_ got Leo's attention. He froze. The air suddenly got hot. People nearby took a few steps back, looks of fear plastered on their face.

Leo turned really slowly, his face contorted in anger and annoyance. "What'd you say to me?"

Oh, Annabeth was _not_ going to deal with this bad attitude like a little girl. She'd faced way scarier things in Tartarus, so a son of Hephaestus acting like he was suffering from PMS couldn't scare her that easily. "You heard me," she said, returning the glare. "You're acting like a jerk, Leo. That isn't like you. What's gotten your boxers in such a twist?"

Leo's hand caught fire. "Y'know," he growled, "I got tired of people pushing me around. Of them not taking me seriously. Well, no more! So, get this through your head, Blondie: I'm not going to take your schist. I'll destroy anyone who tries to order me around again."

Annabeth steeled herself and tried to ignore the '_Blondie_'. "Is this the part where I'm supposed to be scared?"

Leo snarled. His eyes looked like they were about to catch fire, too. "You friggin bi—"

"Leo!"

Calypso ran up and dragged Leo away. She only managed to drag him a few feet, but it was enough.

Leo glared at her. "Calypso! Get out of my way!"

"No." To her credit, she was standing up to a firestorm waiting to happen—and she was doing it while giving him the stink-eye. "You are out of control, Leo. You need to get your act together right now."

"Or what?"

Annabeth watched as Calypso drew herself up higher. "We're through."

The crowd—which was still standing a safe distance away—gasped. Leo's flames went out instantly. He had a look of pure horror on his face.

"You're…" he stammered, his voice quiet. "You're breaking up with me?"

Annabeth could see in Calypso's eyes that this was something she did not want to do. "Yes," she said flatly. "I am _breaking up_ with you."

Leo screamed at her face. It wasn't even a word, just a long "Aaaaah."

Calypso didn't even flinch. "Maybe when you cool down and start acting like the boy I fell in love with, we can get back together. Until then, you're dealing with this temper _without_ a girlfriend."

She stormed off, her caramel-colored hair waving behind her.

Leo's mouth was open. He was in pure shock.

Annabeth was shocked, too. She ran after the former Titan, completely forgetting Leo was still standing there. She'd deal with him later.

Annabeth went up the steps to the Big House. She opened the door.

Calypso was hugging her knees on the couch in the rec room. She was crying, her form shaking.

Annabeth sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her. "Boys can be really stupid."

"Y-Yeah," Calypso mumbled. "But Leo went too far…trying to attack you."

Annabeth shrugged. "I wasn't scared of him, really. I've faced far worse."

"But he was still a jerk," her friend said. Calypso broke into a sob. Annabeth gave her a minute to recompose herself.

Finally, the former Titan asked, "What's happening to Leo? Even when he was annoyed before, I could always sense he would get better. But now…" she buried her face in her arms. "It's like I don't even know him anymore…"

Annabeth nodded. "I know. I'm going to go research _empousa_ bites. He's probably suffering from some sort of reaction. Whatever's happening, we need to be there for him.

"That being said," she continued. "Perhaps it would be wise if you went back and made up with him."

"But—"

"No." Annabeth shook Calypso a bit. "Leo is unstable right now. He needs you to be with him. And obviously you need him. I saw that it hurt you to break up with him. Go to him now."

Calypso sniffed. "I suppose you're right. Leo's not in the right mindset. I should be there for him, not pushing him further away…"

She turned her head to Annabeth. "Thank you for that."

Annabeth smiled. "You bet. Go to him. I'll see what I can find on _empousa_ bites for males."

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><p><em><strong>AN: So that'll be the last update for today. I has to go to work soon**_

_**It kind of hurts to write Leo like that, but it's necessary. Get ready, the fun's just beginning!**_


	4. Aggressive

**_Short again, but apparently that's the fate of most of this story's chapters. Sorry bout that :P_**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon.**_

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><p><strong>Aggressive<strong>

"Stupid."

_Punch._

"Ridiculous."

_Kick._

"How."

_Stab._

"Dare."

_Smash._

"She."

_Slap._

"Break."

_Tear._

"Up."

_Throw._

"With."

_Thrash._

"ME!?"

Leo finally put the punching dummy out of its misery and set it on fire. The flames cackled and popped. Leo stomped on the ground and screamed in rage.

"I can't believe this! _She_ broke up with _me_!? How dare she? Who does she think she is—taking _Annabeth's_ side like that! Humph!"

He thrashed another dummy good with his hammer before setting that one on fire, too. The entire training area was deserted except for Leo. He had pretty much set fire to the whole place already, so anyone who _wanted_ to use the training area pretty much couldn't.

"Annabeth's the jerk," he snarled. "I can't believe people just automatically take her side…"

That went on for a good ten minutes. Finally, Leo's temper died a bit. He stood in the middle of the arena, sweating and panting. His hammer was long gone. His arms were on fire.

Leo fell to his knees, his flames flickering out. He looked up to the sky, feeling a tear trail down his cheek.

"Why…" he muttered. "Why do _I_ have to suffer? Calypso…"

Leo sobbed a bit. "Calypso," he wailed. "CALYPSO! I didn't want you to leave!"

He cried, still sitting on his knees, face turned to the sky.

At the end of the cry, he let out one huge wail. This wail was filled with all the extra anger he had built up and somehow didn't release during his beat-down session with the dummies. But it was also filled with sorrow for losing Calypso. He hated this. He wanted her back! He hated—

Suddenly, the bite on his neck began throbbing. Leo halted in his sobs and reached up to stroke at the bandages. He had yet to take those off himself, always letting Will Solace change them. The moment his fingertips brushed his neck, Leo flinched.

The pain got worse. Every time Leo's heart beat pain would shoot through his entire body.

"Argh!" Leo buckled over. He clawed at the dirt, screaming in pain. Now that he was scared, his heartbeat was faster, which meant the pain came faster and more intensely.

He watched in horror as his hands began to change; his fingernails grew and grew, becoming black claws—or possibly talons, they were so sharp. His finger bones cracked and lengthened.

Leo doubled over more as the growing pains hit his arms and legs. His feet were in unbearable pain—Leo couldn't even bother to look at what was going on; he was still writhing and watching his hands and arms grow.

Suddenly he was on fire. How he got that way, Leo would never know. He tried to put the flames out, but pain racked through his insides and he screamed again.

The flames circled him. They seeped into his skin, which tingled. Leo saw his hands and arms begin to go transparent, watching flames dance within his skin. It looked like the time when Leo had been holding back all his life's flames before incinerating Gaea—only this time the pain was much worse.

Leo's vision turned red.

He looked up to the sky and screamed again. But what came out of his mouth wasn't any scream a human would ever be able to muster.

The sound he made had been between a shriek and a howl, and it echoed.

Whatever flames didn't get absorbed into Leo's body suddenly surrounded him in a huge firestorm. The heat was so intense it melted whatever weapons happened to be lying around nearby.

Leo shriek-howled once more as his pain reached a climax, which made the flames soar even higher and burn even hotter.

He blacked out.

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><p><em><strong>AN: Oh dear D:**_


	5. Abnormal

**_Thank you to Venus for that comment. I already had this chapter planned out before you wrote the review, so I hope this pleases you a bit in terms of more angry-Leo. I know it's not before the big kaboom he just had, so the impact may not be a strong as you desired, but I kinda preferred it this way :3 For future dramatic Leo stories I'll take that into consideration :) Thank you again._**

**_Matt: How about you let me write my story? I take constructive criticism, not requests. Venus's review was constructive criticism that I can work with and be happy about. I don't mind those reviews at all. You telling me what to write in my own story? Not cool. I have plans and plot points already for this story (along with almost all the others). If I'm taking requests, I'll put that in a note. If you don't see one, then please don't tell me what you think I should write._**

**_Maybe if you worded your reviews differently, I might not even bring it up. Instead of 'how bout you write this' you could say 'wow cool. I hope this or that happens in the next chapter'. Hoping for something and telling me to write it are two different things._**

**_Alright, guys! More of a look into how much of a change Leo got. It's only a couple examples, but it's something :D I'm tired. It's like 20 after midnight here :P_**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon.**_

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><p><strong>Abnormal<strong>

Calypso exited the Big House. She really hated the way she acted towards Leo.

"It needed to be said," she justified to herself. "But breaking up with him didn't need to be done…Even after the way he's been acting the past few days…"

She had gotten the first clue when they had gone on a date after Leo woke up.

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><p><em>Leo and Calypso decided to go watch a special event at the nearest theatre. They were showing the Princess Bride for one night only as an anniversary special, and Leo was super excited about it. He told her it was a comedy more than just a romance movie and that it was just plain awesome.<em>

_They were currently in line to get some food. Calypso was trying to comprehend the concept of popcorn (Hey, she hadn't been off of Ogygia _that_ long)._

_When the line moved, a couple big men decided to push Leo backwards and cut in line._

_Leo stumbled back and huffed in annoyance. "Yo," he snapped. "You in a hurry or somethin'? Back of the line!"_

_The two men turned and just laughed at Leo. The bigger one said, "What are you gonna do about it, little boy?"_

_The other one chuckled. "You're so scrawny and tiny. Get lost, pipsqueak."_

_Leo growled. His hands began smoking. "I'm gonna make you eat those words, you sons of—"_

_Calypso took his hand before it could burst into flame. "Leo, it's not worth it. You could scare the mortals. We have plenty of time before this 'movie' starts. We can wait a little longer to get food."_

_Leo looked at her. His eyes were dark and hostile for a few seconds. Then, he gripped her hand back and his gaze softened. "Okay…" he said, ignoring the sneers and comments from the men in front._

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><p>"I should have talked to him about it," Calypso said. "He needs me now more than ever."<p>

Another clue was when she was watching him play a 'video game' with Jason in the rec room of the Big House.

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><p><em>"What exactly is the point of this?" Calypso asked as Leo pressed a bunch of buttons on an oddly shaped contraption at light speed. Jason was sitting next to him on the couch, pressing buttons on his own weird thing at an equal speed.<em>

_Jason and Leo were playing a 'video game' on something called Idiot Mode. At the moment, they were an even match for each other._

_Calypso and Piper were sitting on the back of the couch, behind their respective boyfriends._

_"The point is to beat your opponent," Leo said, rapidly moving and flailing around, as if that would help his button-pressing. "And at the same time you gotta get out of the way of the random glitch monsters."_

_Suddenly, the little yellow electric rat thing—Leo had called it a Pikachu?—created a lightning bolt and hit the green-clothed man with a mustache._

_Leo yowled in protest. "NO! Jason, you can't do that!"_

_Jason grinned, a smug look all over his face. "I can. I did. I totally kicked your butt!"_

_Leo glared at him. Calypso knew the difference between games and battles. However, looking at Leo's hatred-filled eyes made her doubt that knowledge._

_Leo punched Jason in the jaw. "That's cause you cheated!"_

_Jason couldn't even react, he was too stunned by the sudden punch. Piper yelped in surprise, instinctively grabbing at her dagger. She realized what she was about to do and halted._

_Leo was still looking at Jason with pure hatred. Calypso hopped off the back of the couch and hugged the Latino. Leo tensed up for a moment before relaxing._

_Calypso silently walked him out of the rec room to go cool him off. As she left she heard Jason ask Piper, "What in Jupiter's name was _that_ about? It was one level! He beat me on the other four!"_

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><p>A sudden scream cut Calypso out of her thoughts. It was coming from the training area.<p>

Calypso knew that scream had come from Leo. And he sounded like he was in pain!

She ran for the training area at full speed. When she reached the gates, she had to pause. Something was wrong. The whole place was engulfed in flames—white hot flames. The heat was almost unbearable, but Calypso made herself get closer.

A shriek-like howl pierced the air. It chilled Calypso all the way to her bones. A few seconds later a second howl followed. It gave her Goosebumps. Whatever was making that sound was obviously hurt. She wished she could help, but the flames were too much.

Suddenly, a crash sounded from within. Weights crashed through the wall a few feet away.

Through the flames, a silhouette appeared in the new hole. From what Calypso could tell, which was really hard considering it was surrounded by flames, it had hair made of fire.

The figure's red eyes glared through the wreckage and fire, locking onto Calypso. It hissed.

It lunged.

Calypso screamed.

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><p><em><strong>AN: Dun dun duuunnn!**_


	6. Amok

**_Now I'm intentionally making these chapters short. Just to make you guys writhe :)_**

**_Oh, and happy Thanksgiving to the Americans like me. I don't really celebrate it, but good tidings for the holiday nonetheless._**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon.**_

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><p><strong>Amok<strong>

Everyone besides Leo, Calypso, and Annabeth was having dinner when the fire started.

Screams echoed through the air just as Percy was about to bite into his pizza. He froze mid-bite.

"What was that?" Jason asked, his mouth full of chicken. He was sitting at the Zeus table. Piper was next to him, ignoring camp rules just like Annabeth did with Percy.

Actually, a few people broke the no-switching-tables-rule. While Piper sat with Jason at the Zeus table, Annabeth would usually sit with Percy at the Poseidon table (she was busy researching _empousa_ bite reactions at the moment), and Will Solace would sit with Nico—though the son of Hades always acted flustered at that. And sometimes Leo, Piper, Jason, Nico _and_ Will would sit at the Poseidon table with Percy and Annabeth. Just because.

A figure ran up to the dining pavilion, panting.

Percy recognized it as Kelly, the daughter of Apollo Jason, Piper, and Leo had rescued the other day. Her blue eyes were wide with fear, and her blonde hair was spiky with sweat and covered in soot.

"H-Help," she gasped. "The training…area…Calypso…Leo…"

She held something up. Piper gasped. Percy squinted.

It was Leo's tool belt!

"Fire," Kelly exclaimed.

Everyone shot up and ran for the training area.

Of course, they didn't make it far. The fire that had started in the training area had spread. Half the forest was engulfed now.

Percy began funneling lake water towards the flames. Within seconds, the training area was doused and the flames were out.

The forest, however, was another matter.

"Wait! Kelly, come back!"

Percy saw the new girl run straight into the forest, a knife in her hand. She looked determined.

Will was running after her, but stopped as flames enclosed around the path she had taken.

Percy, Jason, and Piper ran up. Will looked at them, his eyes wide with fear. "Kelly! She-she said she saw something drag Calypso away…! She ran after it!"

Jason and Percy exchanged a glance and nodded. They created a mini-storm together, a trick that they had been perfecting for a while, essentially dousing all the flames within a half mile.

After a few seconds, they all headed into the charred woods—all except Will, who said he would help with damage control in Camp.

The trail was easy enough to follow. Kelly's footprints in the ashes were easy to track, and the burnt trees left a good trail, too.

Eventually, the heat rose again and some of the trees began smoking. Percy made a note to keep himself ready for another storm. Jason's determined face told him he was ready, too.

Flames could be seen through a gap in the trees. The trio ran through and halted.

At first, the flames' brightness made it too hard to see. Then, Percy's eyes got used to the light and he gasped at what he saw.

Kelly was on the ground, groaning and clutching her side as if she had been hit. The fire hadn't consumed her yet, but it was inching closer. She was slowly trying to crawl away, and that's when Percy realized she had a huge burn on her side.

He focused his attention at the blaze in front of him.

The firestorm in the clearing was encircling a figure. Percy couldn't believe what he was seeing.

The figure was tall and lanky, with a height equal to Chiron in centaur form. He—because it was pretty obvious the figure was male when all it was wearing was a smoking pair of black boxers—had dragon-like feet. The feet weren't like the Giants' legs. Those were hideous and huge. This thing's feet were smallish, golden scales fading into skin just below the knee.

Speaking of skin, this thing's seemed almost transparent. Sometimes you could see bronze-colored skin, sometimes all you saw were dancing flames of various shades of orange and white. Near his heart the flames turned blue. Huge bat wings made of fire flapped behind him, keeping him at a hover. A flaming orange tail whipped around his golden-scaled legs.

His face was really creepy. He had a slightly turned up nose and long pointy ears. His cheekbones were really prominent. His teeth were fangs, glowing like silver gems in the firelight. And his eyes…His eyes were completely white. Not milky white like a blind person; this thing's eyes were made of small white flames.

Framing that creepy face was a mane of flames more intense than the surrounding blaze. It reminded Percy of _emposai_ hair, but this guy's was far worse and way more uncontrollable.

Percy squinted more and realized the flaming thing was holding something. He gasped when he realized what it was.

In his long and skinny arms was Calypso, charred and smoking, covered with ash and soot.

And she was unconscious.

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><p><em><strong>AN: Oh dear...**_

_**Cue the screams.**_

_**0:)**_


	7. Attack

**_Action time! :D Hooray, something I can't seem to write-at least not as well as I write fluff._**

**_Happy Thanksgiving (to the Americans like me) again :3_**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon.**_

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><p><strong>Attack<strong>

Piper felt fear well up in the pit of her stomach. The fire creature before them was scarier than many of the monsters she'd faced before.

Granted, he was kind of handsome. (Hey, just because he's a monster, doesn't mean he can't look good) But he was still creepy and evil. It was clear in the way he bared his fangs and snarled at the demigods.

Piper glanced at the boys. "Can you two distract him? I'll try to get to Calypso."

"We could," Jason said, "but he's kinda _holding_ her."

Piper ignored him and faced the fire thing again. With as much charmspeak as she could muster, she ordered, "Put Calypso down safely."

The monster growled, but did as it was told. It gently set Calypso down on the ground, careful not to burn her with his surrounding flames.

His white-flamed eyes locked back onto the three demigods.

Piper nodded to the boys and they shot off. Jason immediately flew up for an aerial attack. The creature met him midair and they clashed—Imperial Gold sword vs. obsidian claws, which looked hot enough to melt steel.

Sparks flew around them. Jason dodged fierce attacks from the monster's claws easily enough, but his tail kept swinging and whipping around. Jason's leg got slapped by it and his pants leg caught fire. Jason landed and patted out the flames.

Percy went next. The monster was kind enough to land so the son of Poseidon could have a fair turn.

As Celestial Bronze clashed with hot claws, Piper sneaked over to Calypso.

The former Titan was bleeding from a wound on her side, and she was badly burnt in various spots. The wound itself was black from being burned.

"That can't be right," Piper mused. "This wound isn't a burn wound—it's from a blade? Then why is it burned?"

She glanced over at the two-on-one fight. The creature's claws may have been long, but they certainly weren't as big as a sword or even Katropis. They couldn't pass as a single blade wound.

Piper turned back to Calypso. _So either this monster had a blade originally, or he might not have wounded her at all…_

Piper was so deep in thought about what had hurt Calypso that she had almost missed the shriek.

The creature had noticed her and had flown into the air. It yowled in rage and shot fireballs, which rained down near Piper. The daughter of Aphrodite dodged the attacks and rolled away, stumbling into a ditch.

The monster dove down and stepped over Calypso, roaring and shooting fireworks into the air.

Piper tried to sneak around again, but then realized that the ditch was a creek bed.

"Percy!" She waved her arms to get the son of Poseidon's attention. "There's water here!"

Percy's eyes lit up as he understood what she was getting at. He held out his non-sword arm.

Water from the creek—more water than Piper could even imagine could come from such a small ribbon of liquid—rose up and formed a huge wave. The monster saw it and immediately ran for Percy, like he knew the demigod needed focus. He howled and stuck out its claws.

Jason met him with his own blade. Percy, still holding out his left hand and controlling the water, lunged with Riptide and stabbed the creature in the gut. The fiery monster yowled in pain and backed away, gripping his wound. Blood spattered onto the ground around its feet.

Percy swung his left arm. The wave lunged forward and collided with the creature. It howled as it was swept away by tons of water. Soon, its cries were lost as it washed downstream. Steam and smoke curled up from where it had been.

The fire around the area sputtered out suddenly, leaving all five of them in the sudden darkness.

Jason pulled out a flashlight from his pocket and looked down at where the creature had been standing before the wave hit. He cocked an eyebrow and motioned for Piper to come over.

He looked at Percy. "So, when we stab a monster, what usually happens?"

The son of Poseidon shrugged. "They turn to dust?"

"Or they bleed," Piper said. "If it's not a fatal wound, monsters bleed."

"And what color is the blood?" Jason asked.

"Gold," Percy answered. "Monsters have golden blood, just like the immortals. Everyone knows that."

Jason shook his head and pointed at the bloodstain on the ground. "This thing didn't. His blood was red, not gold!"

They all exchanged a horrified glance.

"So," Piper drawled. "That monster…_wasn't_ a monster?"

Jason nodded. "I don't know what it was."

Percy bent down and carefully picked up Calypso. "Well, it's gone now, whatever it was. Let's get the girls back to camp. We can worry about this later."

"But what about Leo?" Jason asked.

Piper gasped. She had forgotten that the son of Hephaestus was missing, too!

Percy shook his head. "We can't search for him now. The girls are hurt. We need to get them to the infirmary."

Piper gave him a worried glare. "What if _Leo's_ hurt and he needs our help?"

Jason came between the two of them. "Piper, you help carry Kelly back while Percy carries Calypso. _I'll_ look for Leo. He couldn't have gotten far, even if he had gotten knocked out by that thing early on."

Piper nodded. "I just hope he's okay…"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Um...about that...**_


	8. Asking

**_I give you..._**

**_...the shortest chapter in existence! :D_**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Asking<strong>

"It's called a fire imp."

Everyone looked at Annabeth as she opened an old tome on the Ping-Pong table in the Big House. All of the head counselors were there—except for Jason and Leo, of course. Jake Mason was replacing Leo at the moment.

She flipped to a chapter that read _IMPS_.

"Imps aren't normally Greek or Roman," Annabeth explained. "So it was a little hard to find this. But, here it is.

"Fire imps are extremely rare—like usually only one in a few centuries rare—and extremely powerful."

"No kidding," Percy complained. "That thing's claws could probably tear through solid rock."

"Well, their power is fueled by emotions. Anger…fear…"

"I'm pretty sure this guy was angry," Piper commented.

"Anyway, the most disturbing thing…" Annabeth paused, dreading her conclusions. "…the most disturbing thing is how they are made."

"What do you mean, 'made'?" Connor Stoll asked.

"Is it like how dryads connect with a tree? Or how a wind nymph manifests in the air?" Jake Mason said. "Do fire imps connect their life to a bonfire or something?"

"Nymphs and imps are two different things," Annabeth said. "Nymphs and dryads are born that way. Imps…Imps are mortals-turned-monster. They were once humans…"

The entire table fell into a horrified silence.

"Some," she continued, "are the result of a spell gone wrong. Those are regular trouble-making imps; they're humans who got their hands on a curse from Hecate and it backfired. Some, like mountain imps, are people who disconnected with humanity by being in nature too long. They devolved, so to speak. Ever hear of Big Foot? That's a mountain imp."

"And fire imps?" Piper was already squirming in her seat, as if she had deduced what Annabeth was about to say.

_As well she should, _Annabeth thought. _Because my research before that gives the same answer…_

"Well?"

Annabeth blinked. "Sorry, what?"

Percy looked at her with a worried expression. "How does a person become a fire imp?"

Annabeth sighed, willing her voice not to shake.

"They…They get bitten…by an _empousa_."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Uh-Oh...**_


	9. Answers

**_Yup. You got it! Not one! Not two! Not even three!_**

**_FOUR CHAPTERS in one day!_**

**_Granted, all of them are shorter than me, but WHO CARES!? :D_**

**_Maybe it's not the same day to most of you, but it's still Thanksgiving here, so bleh! :P_**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Answers<strong>

"Y-You mean…?" Piper's lip trembled. "That fire imp we faced…?"

"No," Percy said, horrified. "It wasn't!"

Annabeth nodded. "I'm afraid it was. That fire imp…was probably Leo."

Percy put his head in his hands. "Then I…I just…_drowned_ him!"

Piper patted him on the shoulder. "No, he was dragged away by the current. He was still…screaming when he was swept off."

Percy shivered, ashamed at what he had done. "But…I _stabbed_ him, too."

Annabeth sighed. "Then all we can do is hope Jason finds him. He's a strong guy, Percy. He'll make it…but that brings something else up. When Jason _does_ find him, will he still be human?"

The campers shifted in their seats—even Clarisse seemed on edge.

"If he's not," Jake Mason began. "If Leo's not human anymore…what can we do?"

"Maybe there's a cure?" Will tried. "We could look for possible cures. If some normal imps are affected by Hecate curses, perhaps there is a spell to change them back."

Lou Ellen, the counselor for the Hecate Cabin, shrugged. "I'll see what we can do. No promises, though. Spells are very specific, especially curses. What cures a regular imp might not work for a fire imp."

Piper stood. "We need to find Leo _now_."

Annabeth nodded. "I did a little bit of research on fire imps and how they're created. It seems that if someone survives an _empousa_ bite, there's an extremely tiny chance there could be a reaction. Leo's fire user abilities must have made that reaction possible."

She flipped a few pages ahead in her book and paraphrased. "Basically, this is how the transformation works: If there is a reaction, the person will be emotionally unstable. The slightest above average emotion—happiness, annoyance, anger, fear, sadness—can set them off. The first transformation doesn't occur until the person reaches a climax. Leo must have hit his after…"

She trailed off. Percy knew she was talking about Calypso's breakup with Leo.

"So, his climactic emotion must have been hatred towards Calypso," Percy noted. "Does that matter?"

"I don't know," Annabeth admitted. "It doesn't say. But it probably had a hand in why he attacked her."

Piper raised her hand. "I'm not so sure," she speculated. "I had a good look at that wound. Yes, it was burned, but the original wound was a stab wound, not a burn. And his claws were too small to make something that big."

Will nodded. "I can confirm that."

"So something _else_ must have attacked Calypso?" Connor asked. "That sounds way too fishy to me. Leo obviously felt resentment towards Calypso for breaking up with him, so he must have attacked her. So the wound was a stab wound—maybe he attacked her before the climax?"

"Whatever the reason," Annabeth said, "We won't know until either Calypso wakes up or Jason finds Leo."

The group nodded in agreement.

Jake spoke up again. "You said _first_ transformation…does that mean there's a higher possibility Leo could revert back?"

"Yes," the daughter of Athena said. "But if he does, his emotions will stack up again and he'll keep transforming until he permanently becomes an imp. If that happens, we'll lose him."

"So, besides a possible cure," Lou Ellen said, "is there any way to stop him from transforming? If we know what happens when he gets angry, maybe we can just…_not_ get him angry?"

"Good luck," Percy said, crossing his arms. "Leo was on a short fuse before today. He got set off at almost every annoying thing."

"Emotions get amplified, regardless of what they are," Annabeth said. "However, maybe if we can keep him near Calypso, he might not transform as easily."

Percy didn't understand what she was saying. "Didn't they just break up? Leo turned into a _fire imp_ because she made him angry."

Annabeth glared at him. Percy shut up.

"She's our only chance at keeping him human while we search for a cure," Piper said. "We have to try."

Percy nodded. He glanced back at his girlfriend. "Any other info we could use?"

Annabeth read a little more. She muttered, "Speculations on them being tricksters…difference between them and fire demons from the Underworld…water is the weakness…" She looked up. "I'll keep looking through this and then try and find something else on imps in general. If there's a way to save Leo, I'll definitely find it."

Lou Ellen agreed. "And if there's a cure in the form of a spell, the Hecate Cabin will get our hands on it. We'll see if Mom can help."

Percy nodded. "Alright then. Let's send out a few search parties to help Jason!"

The table cheered and all the campers rushed out, except for Percy and Annabeth.

Percy took Annabeth's hand. "Leo will be okay…won't he?"

Annabeth looked him dead in the eye. Her expression was sad and defeated. "I don't know, Percy…I truly don't know…"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: I am officially off the Teen Titans episode now. Mostly. This is going to end differently, so if any of you are curious on how Beast Boy overcame his 'werewolf' transformation, go ahead and watch that episode (Beast Within). It won't spoil this story's ending :3**_


	10. Afraid

**_This story's getting intense, huh? :3 Wonder what's gonna happen next!_**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Afraid<strong>

Jason found Leo a few hours after the campers split off to help search. One of the counselors had collided with Jason and told him the bad news about the imp's identity, to which he was rightfully horrified.

The current Percy had created had dragged Leo far—all the way to the river, which led to the edge of the lake. He was face-up, bottom half floating in the gentle waves. The wound Percy had given him had stopped bleeding, but the ground around him was covered in blood—a lot of blood.

Jason was glad to see Leo was back to being human. If it hadn't been for the wound in his gut, along with only wearing burned boxers, Jason might've believed Leo was never the fire imp.

Jason reached down and cradled Leo's head in his hands. Leo groaned and opened his eyes. They were cloudy and unfocused.

"…Jason…?" he slurred. "W-Wh…where am…I?"

Before Jason could answer, Leo's head lolled and he fell unconscious again.

Jason gently picked up the son of Hephaestus and brought him back to camp. The entire way, he noticed Leo's body temperature was through the roof and every once in a while, his skin would flicker, showing low, sleeping flames. Jason had a hard time trying to ignore the overwhelming heat.

* * *

><p>Will gave Leo as much ambrosia as he had dared, which healed up the gut wound beautifully. Well, okay, 'beautifully' wouldn't really be an accurate term, as an ugly scar would always be there on his stomach, but hey…sacrifices.<p>

Chiron had advised to take precautions against Leo going wild. Annabeth and Piper didn't want that, saying it might make his emotion instability worse, but the centaur insisted. So, the Hephaestus Cabin made a few shackles, which were fireproofed thanks to the Hecate Cabin's spells. Leo was now bound to the bed in which he slept by his wrists and ankles. There were chains connected to the shackles, so Leo would be able to sit up and stretch, but he wouldn't be able to stand or even get off the bed.

A cold pack was stuck to his forehead as well. Will was worried Leo's internal heat would turn him back, so he advised a permanent ice pack—one they had to change constantly, though the frequency was starting to lengthen.

Jason and Piper stayed by his bedside for as long as they were allowed. A self-filling bowl had been placed on his bedside table, so that when he awoke he would get soup. Will was concerned that he wouldn't be able to digest food, so soup it was.

For two days, Leo was unconscious. At the end of the second day, his body temperature finally lessened to a sane person's, so the ice pack had been hesitantly taken away.

Just as Will was about to tell Jason and Piper visiting hours were over, Leo finally opened his eyes.

"Wha…?" he muttered.

Jason put a hand on Leo's shoulder. "Hey, man. Welcome back. We thought you'd never wake up. Do you remember us?"

Leo's cloudy eyes focused on Jason. He had this look of _are you serious?_ "What kind of question is that?" he asked incredulously. "Of course I remember you…why wouldn't I?"

Jason sighed in relief, glad to know the transformation hadn't taken away his human memories.

Piper smiled. "No reason. How do you feel?"

Leo squirmed a little and clutched at the scar on his abdomen. "Like I got stabbed. Did I?"

Then he saw the shackles. His eyes followed the chains, which disappeared under the bed. He started thrashing and freaking out. "What—?"

Jason placed his hand on Leo's chest and pushed him back down. "Calm down, Leo. It's…We did this for your own good…"

Leo looked at him with dark eyes. "Excuse me!? What about any of this is for my own good!?" He looked ready to snap. "Why'd you put me in chains!?"

Piper pushed Jason away and begged Leo, "Please don't get mad, Leo. You need to stay calm."

"CALM!?" he exclaimed. "HOW CAN I BE CALM WHEN YOU—"

"LEO STOP!" Piper screamed, probably using as much charmspeak as she would dare. Jason half-froze before realizing it wasn't directed at him.

When Leo had frozen mid-yell, Piper took a deep breath and said, "You're really unstable, Leo. Getting really angry…it'll hurt people. You need to calm down. Please."

Leo kept glaring at her with intense eyes. Then, his eyes suddenly widened, as if he realized what he was doing.

He put his head in his hands. "What's…happening to me?" he asked in a small voice.

Piper kneeled down and put her hand gently on Leo's knee. "What do you last remember?"

Leo blinked a few times before closing his eyes in concentration. "I…I remember…me and Calypso had a fight…she broke up with me! I got angry…went to the training arena…fire…a scream…nothing…"

He trembled. "Where's Calypso?" he asked. "I…need to apologize for acting like such a jerk."

Piper and Jason exchanged a worried glance. Calypso was still in a medical coma. Her wound had long since healed, but she still hadn't woken up yet. She was actually in the bed next to Leo, but was cut off by a curtain.

When neither demigod answered him, Leo looked at them again, fear in his eyes. But that fear was mixed with something else, something Jason couldn't place.

Leo asked, "What did I do when I was…out?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Hmm...well...**_


	11. Ashamed

**_Hurr. Another short chappie. Kinda filler. And uber sad :(_**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Ashamed<strong>

Leo refused to speak for three days. It was unnerving to hear nothing—not even a joke—come from him. He barely ate, though that was because he couldn't digest solids yet.

And he barely slept.

One night, Will came in to check up on the poor guy, and Leo was sitting up in bed, knees pulled up to his chest, tears silently running down his cheeks.

"Leo," Will tried. "Do you want to see Calypso now?"

The son of Hephaestus had flat-out refused to see her, even if she was right next to him. Will suspected it was because he was afraid he might freak out.

Leo shook his head.

Will sighed. He sat down on the bed next to Leo. "Look, man," he began. "I know you're feeling…awful…about what happened. But no one got killed. You didn't kill _her_. That's good."

"I could've," Leo said, his voice hoarse.

Will nodded. "But you didn't. That's what matters. When she wakes up, she'll be happy to see you again. I guarantee it."

Leo sighed dejectedly. He didn't say anything else.

The son of Apollo frowned and looked away. His eyes focused on the chains connected to Leo's bed.

"Okay," he said, with a bit of enthusiasm. "I know what might cheer you up. You need to get out and take a walk!"

Leo glanced at him, one eyebrow raised.

"I'm serious," Will said. "We can't keep you chained up forever. That's not right or fair to you. Tomorrow, I'll get Piper to come and take a walk around camp with you."

Leo shook his head. "They'll all…they'll all stare at me. They know I'm…a monster."

Will patted the fire user's knee. "No. They'll all be busy playing capture-the-flag. I'll excuse Piper so she can hang out with you. Would you like Jason to come, too?"

Leo shook his head. "No…Piper…Just Piper."

Will smiled. "You'll get through this, Leo. The Hecate Cabin is doing everything in their power to help you. Annabeth's been studying non-stop, using every resource she can."

Leo didn't comment.

The son of Apollo reached out and ruffled Leo's messy curls. "You're not a monster. You're Leo Valdez. We all care about you, man. That's why we want to help. If we hated you because we thought you were a monster, we would have hurt you, not healed you. Think about that."

Will stood and made for the door. He turned and looked at the poor son of Hephaestus.

"Get some sleep, Leo," he urged. "You'll feel better afterwards."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Will's POV? :o That was about as strange as Nico's!**_

_**Sad, though...I hate sad Leo :( But sometimes it has to be done...**_


	12. Aid

**_Another chapter before I head out to work! :)_**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Aid<strong>

Leo felt his stomach churn. Maybe it was the cheese and crackers he had choked down earlier. Or maybe it was the fact he was walking outside the comfort of the infirmary. Hard to say.

The scar over his gut didn't make him feel any more comfortable. It was hideous, a gross reminder of what Leo had done.

Trouble was…something didn't sit right with their story to him. Leo had been told he had turned into a fire imp. Okay. That he could handle—kinda. He had been told he lost control of his emotions and almost burned down the camp. Fine. That was pretty believable, considering his track record.

But hurting Calypso? That didn't make sense. Okay, yes, she _did_ break up with him and hurt his feelings. But he had been sad—not angry—at losing her. Sadness didn't translate to killing. At least not like that.

"Hey, Leo."

Leo jumped slightly. He didn't even see Piper walk up to him. He gave a small wave.

Piper came up and hugged him. Leo blinked, then reciprocated the hug.

"You okay?" she asked.

Leo shook his head. "Not really."

Piper took his arm and led him away from the Big House. "Then let's go take that walk. How about the lake?"

Leo shrugged. "You sure no one will see me?"

Piper smiled. "They're all playing Capture the Flag. Besides, you'll have to go back to camp life eventually."

Leo shivered slightly. "It won't be the same. I'm…I'm a monster now."

Piper huffed in annoyance. "There _is_ such a thing as a good monster, dummy. Mrs. O'Leary is a good hellhound. And besides, you _aren't_ a monster."

"Still…now I'm even _more different_ than before." Leo began to slow down.

Piper slapped him behind the head and dragged him along. "You're a freak among freaks. What's so bad about that?"

Leo gave a little smile at that.

"And people will get used to the idea of you being an imp." Piper smirked. "Considering your usual impish face, I'd say that won't be so hard."

Leo actually cracked a grin. "Insult or compliment?"

"Both." Piper sat down. Leo hadn't realized they'd already reached the lake.

"I wanna talk to you about something," she said.

Leo sat down on the beach next to her. "What about?"

"About what happened to Calypso."

Leo shivered. "No. I…I don't wanna…"

"The wound she received," Piper continued. "I don't think it came from you."

Leo looked up at her. "Really?"

She nodded. "It looked like it came from a blade. I know you don't use swords—or even knives—even when you're angry. And your…your claws weren't that big."

Leo had a bit of a tough time believing his hands had once sported claws. He looked down at them, half expecting his rough fingernails to sharpen.

"And," she continued. "I think…I don't think you actually hurt Calypso…"

Leo looked at her, a tiny spark of hope in his heart. "Really? You mean it?"

Piper nodded. "Even though I saw you like _that_, now that I've thought about it, I don't believe you were evil. You fought me because I was close to Calypso. As soon as I was away, you went back to her. You could have killed her there, but you didn't. You looked like you were _protecting_ her."

Leo smiled. "So…I'm not a monster?"

"Well, technically you are," Piper said. "Only a monster can eat that much nachos and cheese with jalapeño hot sauce without throwing up afterwards."

Leo actually laughed this time.

"There's the old Leo," she said, giving him a side hug. "I promise: we'll find out who hurt Calypso. I'll tell everyone to keep a lookout for that person. We're all your family, Leo. We care about you. That's why we're helping you. All you have to do is let us. So, try to get better and get a grip on this imp-side of yours."

Leo nodded, still smiling. He returned her hug. "Okay. I'll try."

Piper smiled. "Good. Now, how about we go take a trip to the Bunker? You look like you need to build something."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Aw. Look, Leo's a little happier again. But how long will that last?**_


	13. Abashed

**_I don't think I'll run out of A words. The English language has enough adjectives that begin with A alone. Imagine the rest of them! :)_**

**_Sorry for the wait._**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Abashed<strong>

Piper knew Leo had tried. He really had.

For the next day, he stuck close to Piper, Jason, Percy, and Annabeth. Maybe during lunch he'd shakily wander over to the Hephaestus table, but he looked sick after five minutes and went back to the original group.

Piper tried to get him to open back up, to crack a smile again and be his old self, but Leo acted like everyone was giving him the evil eye.

Piper had caught only a few people giving the son of Hephaestus that look. The one with the most malicious intent seemed to be Kelly.

Something didn't add up about Kelly. She seemed pretty nice, but every time Leo walked nearby, the daughter of Apollo would drop everything and whisper to the closest person. She'd then give Leo the stink-eye.

Chiron had asked Kelly what happened when she woke up shortly after Leo. She had said she saw Leo—as a hideous monster—attacking Calypso and then attacked her.

Piper didn't like how vague that sounded. Sure, Kelly had the signs of Leo actually fighting with her (claw marks, burns, etc.) but when she said Leo had attacked Calypso, a small flag went up.

_I'm super sure Leo didn't intend to harm Calypso,_ she thought to herself. _I'm extremely sure. What's Kelly not telling us?_

Piper decided to force Leo to look at Calypso and see if he could wake her.

"I don't want to see her," Leo protested. "You said I still burned her!"

Jason patted him on the shoulder. "She's healed by now. The only thing that's wrong is that she won't wake up."

Leo hung his head.

Annabeth said, "We need to see if _you_ can wake her, Leo."

The son of Hephaestus sighed as they walked up the steps to the front porch of the Big House. "Then…can I do this alone?"

The group exchanged a glance.

"You sure?" Piper asked. "You're still shaken."

Leo nodded. "If I have to look at her, I'll do it alone," he said. "Please."

Piper understood just by looking at his face. He was already on the verge of tears. When he saw Calypso's comatose state, he wouldn't be able to hold it back.

The daughter of Aphrodite pushed everyone back. "Let him," she urged. When Jason gave her a weird look, she whispered, "Let him have a bit of dignity. Besides us, it's all he's got right now."

Jason nodded, as did the rest of the group.

Piper watched Leo stagger through the door. She heard him mutter, "You can do this, Valdez. She's okay. She's not dead."

He disappeared.

Annabeth turned to the rest of them. "Why don't we all go train? We need to get our minds off of what happened."

Percy shrugged. "I'm down."

Jason slapped him on the back. "Up for a good spar? We haven't had one for a while."

"You're on," Percy said with a grin.

Annabeth smiled at Piper, who was still looking at the Big House door. She was expecting Leo to come out with Calypso on his arm, grinning like his old self.

"Come on, Piper," the daughter of Athena urged. "He'll be fine in there. We can trust him."

Piper smiled back. "I know we can. I'm just concerned for his mind. He's taking this really badly."

Her friend nodded. "Maybe he'll wake up Calypso and things will get better. She had been on her way to apologize for breaking up with him before this fire imp business got started."

That caught Piper by surprise. "Did you tell Leo this? He might feel better if he knew she didn't hate him!"

Annabeth's eyes widened. "He thinks she hates him? When I spoke to her she was in tears! She was so upset about losing Leo!"

Piper sighed in relief. "Then we can tell him once he comes back out—"

She blinked.

Piper found herself on the ground, covered in charred wood. Annabeth was next to her, lying unconscious. She was also covered in shattered pieces of wood and glass. She was bleeding, but it didn't look too serious.

Percy and Jason were also out cold, their bodies lying a little further away, like they had been thrown there by some sort of force.

Piper's hearing was muffled. A long high beeeeep was clearly present in her head.

_What happened? Weren't we just talking a second ago?_

Piper smelled smoke. She turned her head and gasped.

The Big House…it was on fire!

Half a wall was blown away, like a bomb had gone off. What could be seen inside was burned furniture and charred remains of support beams.

A figure stepped out, engulfed in flames, causing whatever part of the Big House—namely the porch—that had survived to catch fire.

Piper gasped as Leo—back in fire imp form—yowled and flared his wings. His white-flamed eyes burned with fierce intensity, so much so that Piper thought if she looked into them, she might go blind.

Leo's clothes were in tatters, his shoes looking like sandals with his dragon-like talons sticking out of the leather. His flaming tail whipped behind him, like it had a mind of its own.

He flapped his flaming wings and shot into the smoke-covered sky. Within seconds, he was flying over camp and into the woods. Trees caught fire instantly. His comet-like form disappeared in the blaze.

Piper could only whisper, "No…Leo…" before falling unconscious again.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Well that certainly didn't last long, did it?**_


	14. Alert

**_Short one this time. Mostly because somebody has officially spoiled it in the reviews and ruined this for me._**

**_So deal with the shortness._**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Alert<strong>

Calypso woke up covered in soot and wooden remains. Her head was throbbing.

She looked around, surprised to see she was on the ground. The whole area was charred, as if an explosion had gone off. Various parts of the walls were still flickering with flames.

Calypso tried to think back on what she last remembered. Leo…the break-up…fire…

_Leo,_ she thought. _Leo was…_

She saw a body nearby and crawled over. It was Will Solace! Blood was caked around his golden hair, and his arm seemed to be laying in a weird way, but he was still breathing.

"Will," she urged him, shaking him gently. "Will, please wake up."

The son of Apollo groaned and opened his eyes. "Calypso?"

The former Titan smiled. She handed him a square of ambrosia. "Yes. Do you remember what happened here?"

Will winced as he sat up. "Leo…I remember Leo was in here…he was here to see you."

Calypso smiled. "So he's okay?"

Will shook his head, nibbling on the godly food. "No. It's a blur, but I remember Leo getting angry. He caught fire and changed….Calypso, he's—"

"A fire imp," she finished. "I recall him being one last I saw him."

"Well, he changed into one again," the son of Apollo said with disdain. Then, he shook his head, letting out a small groan. "It's spotty. He…he changed and…he was going for you…then he…the place exploded!"

Calypso knit her brows. "No," she said. "Leo would never do that!"

A banging caught them both by surprise. A couple of support beams were knocked away, followed by a knocked-over supply cabinet.

Nico di Angelo huffed, stepping through the threshold that used to be the door to the infirmary. "Will," he exclaimed. "You're okay!"

He rushed over and hugged the son of Apollo. Calypso smiled, happy that the son of Hades was open enough for hugs.

Then, Nico noticed Calypso and pulled away from his boyfriend, clearly flustered. "Ahem," he coughed. "Good to see you're okay, too, Calypso."

She giggled. "I won't tell," she promised.

The son of Hades sighed. "Thanks. What happened? Do you know?"

Will explained, putting all of the blame on Leo.

Calypso shook her head. "I don't believe Leo would do this on purpose! He'd never—"

"Calypso," Nico said. "He hurt you. He attacked you in the training arena."

"No," she said. "He didn't attack me. He saved me."

Both boys looked at her in surprise.

"From what?" Will asked.

"From Kelly," Calypso said with a frown.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Well yeah. Wasn't that obvious?**_

_**Matt, shut the fuck up. You are actually ruining this for me. Haters I can ignore, but you're worse.**_

_**"Is the bad guy Joker?" = Not a spoiler.**_

_**"Psh, everyone should know by now. Joker is the bad guy." = SPOILER.**_

_**So thank you for ruining the story for me. And yes, it is just you. Everyone else (reviewers and silent readers) don't get me upset.**_


	15. Apprise

**_Ooh! Another Nico POV! Let the angels sing in chorus!_**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Apprise<strong>

Nico blinked in surprise. "Kelly? What are you saying?"

Calypso said, "How would you spell her name?"

"K-E-L-L-Y," Will answered.

The former Titan shook her head. "It ends with an I."

Nico growled. Kelly with an I meant something really bad. "So, we've really been harboring an _empousa_?"

"How did that happen?" Will asked. "The borders should have caught her!"

"Maybe…" Calypso put her finger to her chin in thought. "Maybe she was too close to Leo when she first entered. Leo was already gaining imp abilities once he was bitten. Maybe if she was close to him, the border might have thought the monster was Leo and glitched."

"Does the border work like that?" Will asked.

"Who cares _how_ she got in," Nico spat. "What matters is that she's in! No, what matters is Leo blew up the Big House!"

"We need to find Leo," Calypso said. "Where did he go?"

"From what I could tell, he went back into the woods."

Calypso nodded. "Then we need to go into the woods."

* * *

><p>Nico had protested at the idea, but arguing with Calypso was as pointless as arguing with Will. Meaning it was impossible.<p>

_No wonder she can deal with Leo,_ he thought.

When they made it to the edge of the forest, the campers had already put out the start of it. Percy, who had woken up just minutes before Nico went into the Big House, was funneling water into the trees. Nico saw that Annabeth, Jason, and Piper were still unconscious, but being treated a little further away, along with Will, who had hobbled over as soon as he exited the Big House.

"Where are you two going?" Percy asked.

"After Leo," Nico said. "We need to find him."

Percy nodded. "I'll come, too. If we corner him against water I could probably put him out again."

Calypso nodded. "Right. But please…hold back as much as you can—both of you." She glared at Nico as if the son of Hades would turn into a monster himself and start ripping things to shreds.

Nico huffed in annoyance. "If he attacks me, I'm fighting back! I don't hold back when it becomes a matter of self-defense."

Percy rolled his eyes. "He means we'll try."

Nico glared at the son of Poseidon as they took off into the trees. Percy had done well taking out most of the fire before they went in, so the smoke wasn't too bad.

Soon, a shriek cut through the air. Calypso knew that shriek—it was Leo's imp shriek!

The trio ran, following the sound. It was coming from a gap in the blazing trees.

They stopped at the line, gazing past their trees in case Leo might attack them.

Nico saw Leo huddled in on himself. His shoulder was bleeding, his hand covering the wound. A hiss came from the wound.

Leo's imp face was contorted in pain. He growled in discomfort.

Calypso whimpered to herself and walked out into the open.

"No," Nico protested. "Don't!"

But she ignored him and walked towards the fire imp.

Leo looked up at the approaching figure. His fiery eyes glowed in what Nico hoped was recognition. His fanged jaw went slack.

Calypso slowly moved closer.

Leo recoiled and turned away.

Nico felt sorry for him. He clearly recognized Calypso and was ashamed of what he looked like. Then Nico realized the sad truth that Leo was actually conscious! It wasn't just pure-emotion-imp in front of them, it was Leo!

"Leo," Calypso cooed. "Please. Do not fear."

Leo whined and growled. He curled tighter into himself, clearly afraid.

Nico heard Percy shift on his feet. The son of Poseidon was at a loss at what to do.

"No," the former Titan said. "No, Leo. Don't do that. It's okay…"

She crouched down next to the imp. "Leo, look at me."

He glanced up at Calypso with sad eyes. The white flames were low and dark in his eyes. His hair sparked in agitation.

"Please, Leo. It's okay. Look, we're here to help you. We promise we won't hurt you."

Leo looked over at Nico and Percy, who stepped out of hiding. Percy nudged Nico, who had his sword out.

"Put it down," he urged.

Nico sighed and threw his sword down and kicked it away.

Calypso smiled. "See?" she asked Leo, who was still staring at the boys. "Help. You understand, don't you, Leo?"

Leo looked calmed for a few seconds.

Then he bared his fangs and snarled at Percy and Nico.

Calypso backed up as Leo's form began to glow in heat. "Leo? No, no, we're here to help!"

Leo hissed in rage and lunged for Nico, who was standing frozen in surprise.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**_

_**D:**_

_**All the Nico fans are probably screaming now!**_


	16. Avenge

**_*yawn* One more chappie before bed._**

**_Also, I _just_ figured out this neat little trick called 'remove reviews'. I love ignore buttons, and that one's a nice one :)_**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Avenge<strong>

Percy didn't have any time to react when Leo lunged. He was about to shout, "Nico, watch out!"

Then Leo landed two feet away from the son of Hades and jumped over him. A screech sounded, followed by a thump.

Percy stood frozen in shock at what was happening.

Leo was yowling, wrestling another figure with flaming hair—a figure Percy knew all too well.

"Kelli," he growled.

The _empousa_ snarled furiously as Leo tore at her camp clothes. "You awful son of Hephaestus," she spat. "I should have killed you in that alleyway! You've spoiled _everything_!"

Leo only got madder at her screams. He clawed and bit at her, drawing golden blood. Kelli was far smaller than Leo when he was an imp, and the difference in ferocity was astonishing.

Percy never thought he'd see someone take down Kelli so violently and easily. But after five minutes of wrestling around, setting everything around them on fire, Leo finally got Kelli pinned with her arms on either side like a bird. Her donkey/automaton legs were held tight by his tail, which hissed and smoked against her legs. She yowled in pain as the burns got deeper.

Calypso was suddenly brandishing a knife. It took Percy a moment to realize that the knife had been the one Kelli had been holding the other night—the one she had stabbed Calypso with.

Nico picked his sword back up and Percy drew Riptide. Both boys pointed their swords at Kelli's throat. Calypso had her dagger on the _empousa_'s cheek. The former titan's eyes were burning with rage.

"What was your plan?" she demanded. "Tell us!"

"Or what?"

Nico curled his lip. "Or we'll make you wish we'd hurry up and send you to Tartarus. I bet Leo's just itching to chew on that donkey leg of yours."

In continuation of the threat, Leo bared his fangs. He meant business.

Calypso prodded Kelli's cheek with the dagger. "Talk."

Kelli glared at her. "I had hoped to have Leo Valdez _dead_ before he even left the alley. But my bite time was just too short. If he hadn't lived, I would have destroyed your camp from the inside out."

She sneered. "But his _imp side_ proved useful after all."

Leo snapped his jaws, but didn't bite.

"What did you do?" Percy asked, his voice low and dark.

"Simple." Kelly smiled. "I used Leo's first transformation. When you, Calypso, went to investigate, I attacked you and stabbed you. But this blasted imp got me before I could finish the job. He took you and ran, no doubt to try and heal you. So, I turned the camp against you, hoping they would kill you for me."

She turned back to Leo, who growled threateningly.

"But when you were brought back the next day as a human, I had to think of a new plan. And it was really easy to turn people against you when they _know_ you're a monster—a time bomb waiting to go off. I just waited until you were alone with Calypso in the infirmary after you got better."

She sneered. "But I wasn't expecting you to defend her so fiercely. I almost had her when you drove me out."

"The explosion was you?" Percy asked.

Kelli rolled her eyes. "You put two fire-based monsters in the same room together and a firestorm occurs. Pit them against each other and bombs go off."

Nico dug his sword-tip closer to her neck. "You did it all. You intended to pit us against Leo to destroy the one thing that knew what you were. Then you would turn _us_ against ourselves."

"You got it, Death Breath," she spat.

Leo snarled and bit her on the neck. Kelli screamed in agony.

"Enough, Leo," Calypso ordered. "Don't stoop to her level."

The imp released Kelli, his silver fangs dripping gold.

"Last question," the former Titan said with a dark voice. "How do you cure this?"

Kelli laughed. "Cure? For a _fire_ imp? How should I know? There's only a few every few centuries! They all died as imps, for all I know."

Percy originally thought the _empousa_ was lying, but then realized she was telling the truth. He knew she wouldn't lie like that. She'd come up with a better story.

"There has to be a cure," he insisted. "Tell us how to find one."

"Trial and error spells?" Kelli asked dismissively. "Stupid potions? True love's kiss? I honestly don't know. But I really hope he comes to bite you in the butt one day. Literally."

Calypso's eyes narrowed and she whispered, "No."

She drove the dagger into Kelli's throat and the _empousa_ vanished in a cloud of golden dust. The dagger clattered to the ground and Leo scooted away, like the others had the plague.

Percy kicked bits of Kelli's golden dust. "You deserve worse than Tartarus, you witch of a Frankenstein child…"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Bye Kelli :)**_

_**But there's still the Leo problem...**_


	17. Admit

**_Fluffiness! We're almost done, I think :3_**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Admit<strong>

As soon as Kelli had been vanquished, Leo had recoiled from the group and hid his face again.

Calypso crawled over to him. She pulled one of his hands away. Thankfully, it hadn't been very hot. Calypso was glad his skin didn't burn on contact.

"Leo," she tried. "Leo, look at me."

The fire imp squeezed his eyes shut, like that would make her go away. Calypso placed her other hand on his cheek, careful not to get touched by Leo's flaming hair strands.

"You don't have to be afraid, Leo," she pleaded. "Yes, we know what you are now. But we won't hurt you. Please open your eyes."

Leo finally—and slowly—opened his eyes. Calypso held back a gasp. Within the white flames were floating orbs of brown. Leo's true eyes had taken shape.

_He might not be able to change back,_ she thought despairingly. _And he can feel it._

Calypso stroked his cheek lovingly. Leo leaned into the touch. Calypso swore she could hear him purr. Did imps purr?

"We will find a cure for you, Leo," she swore.

Percy was suddenly next to them. He had put away Riptide and was rubbing Leo on the shoulder. "It's okay, man. You'll get through this."

Nico—who had joined in on Leo's other side—nodded. "No one is going to hurt you."

Calypso smiled. "See? We're here for you. We'll definitely find a way to make you human again. I promise."

She leaned closer to him and looked him right in the eye. "I'm sorry I broke up with you. That was dumb of me to do. It wasn't your fault, okay? I was actually going to apologize before Kelli first attacked me."

Leo's eyes lit up with a bit of hope.

"So," she continued. "Let's forget about that fight. I admit: I need you as much as you need me. I love you too much to lose you, Leo."

To prove it, she leaned in further and kissed him. She felt Leo awkwardly shift position at first, afraid that he was burning her.

But he wasn't. His contact set her on fire in different ways—ways that sent waves of pleasure through her. He realized this and began to kiss back. Leo wrapped his long arms around her neck and she held his shoulders firmly (she almost motioned to run her fingers through his hair, but then caught herself before his flaming hair burned her hands).

That kiss lasted a thousand lifetimes to Calypso. Oh, how she loved him!

Suddenly, she felt Leo's arms begin to grow shorter. The claws on his fingers retracted. Calypso—still not breaking the kiss—opened her eyes.

The heat from Leo's body lessened (though the heat from the kiss certainly did not), and his hair became curly and black again. His skin became less transparent and settled for a solid caramel color. The wings and tail vanished, like a campfire burning out. And his legs lost the scales, revealing his small bare feet.

"Huh," Percy mused. "True love's kiss?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "This is Greek drama, not a Disney Princess story."

Calypso finally broke away for air. She looked at Leo and smiled. His face was normal again; slightly turned-up nose, rounder quality, only slightly pointed ears, and a mischievous smirk that told you to keep him away from sharp objects.

"Leo," she said, her voice soft.

Leo grinned a little. His teeth were flat, too. No more fangs.

"Hey," he said hoarsely. "Thanks."

She pecked him on the cheek. "You're welcome."

Nico coughed. "Okay. I think we're good here. Let's get back to camp."

Calypso nodded, then looked down at Leo's clothes. All he had on was a pair of red boxers (which had been really close to burning away when he was an imp) and a few rags on his shoulders. His shoes were long gone, probably either burned away or fell off somewhere.

She took his hand and helped him up. He stood shakily, nearly falling over. "Easy, Leo," she cooed. "Let's get you to a proper Apollo child. How's your shoulder?"

Leo looked at the wound Kelli had given him and weakly poked at it. "Stings," he said. "But if I hadn't burned it, it might have been worse."

Percy looked at Calypso with wide eyes. "Oh! _That's_ why he burned you! Piper said you had a stab wound, but it was burnt, too."

Calypso smiled at Leo. "You knew burning it stopped the bleeding, if only temporarily."

Leo rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess so. I still don't remember that night…"

Calypso kissed him. "You don't have to. I do. And the monster that night wasn't you, it was Kelli. You were my hero. That's all you need to know."

Leo smiled, leaning on her as the group walked back to camp.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: I have the scene from Enchanted stuck in my head: "I've been dreaming of a true love's kiss..."**_

_**:P Wonder why...**_


	18. Attempts

**_So, I was gonna make this the last chapter. And then the bunny happened. So now this one's filler, and there's probably more to come now :D_**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Attempts<strong>

Leo watched his imp tail flick around in boredom as he lay on one of the Hecate Cabin bunks.

The kiss Calypso had given him a few weeks before had only given him the ability to transform back. It wasn't any Disney 'true love kiss' thing, just an anchor to help him go back.

In the few weeks since then, Leo'd had a few more transformations. Nothing extremely serious. He'd get too happy from winning Capture-the-Flag or proud of his inventions in Bunker Nine. He wouldn't set the camp on fire anymore, mostly because he knew it was like his fire powers; the transformations just needed him to keep a level head. With each transformation, he remembered more and could control more.

And with each transformation, his imp side could shine through more and more even when he was human. Like his tail; though it wasn't permanent, Leo actually liked having a little devil's tail whipping around. It made him want to carry a tiny pitchfork around and put red devil horns on his head. And then dance around poking people in the butt.

His tail had gotten more solid since the first transformation. It was now solid red, with orange streaks running through. It was cool, just Leo's style.

"Leo?"

Leo glanced over. Lou Ellen had a couple potions in her hand, still mixing them.

Calypso walked over and sat down next to Leo. "Lou Ellen says she's almost done."

Leo nodded. The Hecate Cabin had been true to their word and looked up every possible potion and spell that could be a cure. Because _none_ of them were an actual cure for a _fire_ imp, 99% of them had backfired on him.

Leo had become a frog, cat, butterfly, hideously mutated goo-thing, New 52 version of Beast Boy (okay, he stayed that way for a day just for the giggles and the ability to turn into a red dinosaur), and an almost-puddle. As much as Leo wanted to be completely human again, it was getting annoying being everything but.

"Okay, Valdez," Lou Ellen said. "Ready?"

Leo shrugged and flicked his devil tail. "I guess."

Calypso side-hugged him. "You'll be fine," she promised. "You'll be human again soon."

Trouble was, Leo wasn't sure he _wanted_ to be human anymore. Yeah, it'd be nice to be one again, but being an imp wasn't that bad. He got to fly around, which was the most awesomest feeling ever, was able to poke people with his tail and then play innocent, and was more in control of his fire than ever.

And it wasn't as if he was immortal. Annabeth had done some research again and found that imps had a normal human lifespan. Fire imps were tricky; if they died in anger or in battle as a full imp, they might reform in Tartarus as something else. If they died of natural causes, such as old age, there was zero chance of them becoming something worse in the afterlife.

Lou Ellen handed him the bottle. "Bottoms up, dude."

Leo chugged the bottle and grimaced at the nasty booger taste. His stomach churned and he felt like throwing up.

The room suddenly shrank. Leo felt his ears grow longer, along with his legs. His arms became shorter and he felt extremely chubby. A fluffy tail sprouted from his butt.

Leo gave his best glare, but it was kind of hard to do when you were a bunny.

Lou Ellen laughed. Calypso held back a giggle.

His girlfriend picked him up and cradled him gently. "Think of it this way," she said. "You make the cutest bunny-boo."

Leo's nose twitched in agitation. A couple sparks popped from his whiskers and he inwardly smirked. At least he would be able to set fire to everyone who laughed at him—except Calypso, of course.

Lou Ellen wiped a tear from her eye. "Bunny transformation. Easy fix."

She waved her fingers and chanted something in Greek that Leo didn't catch. He floated out of Calypso's grasp and painfully stretched back into an imp.

Yeah, that happened. After each transformation, he was forcefully transformed back into full imp form. Thankfully, he didn't catch fire randomly, so he just looked like a really cool fire demon on vacation.

Leo sighed and concentrated, imagining himself to be smaller. He closed his eyes and felt himself shrink and cool off.

When he opened his eyes, he was back to human form. He felt unbalanced, so he let his tail pop out, to which he sighed happily.

He took Calypso's hand and started leading her out of the cabin. "Let's go. I'm hungry for some carrots, now," he grumbled.

Calypso giggled and called back to the Hecate kids, "See you later, guys! Call us if you get another lead!"

Leo shook his head. _Yeah…_

He glanced down and watched his tail flick around for a few seconds. He shook his head.

_Is being human again…worth it anymore?_

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Oooh...**_

_**Credit: BabyBird101 for this chapter. She didn't actually suggest anything, but her story "Leo's Tail" gave me the whole 'I kinda like this' idea. So, credit where credit is due :3**_


	19. Assess

**_Wee!_**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Assess<strong>

Annabeth watched Leo with narrowed eyes. The son of Hephaestus was playing volleyball with Jason, Piper, and Calypso. It was boys vs. girls.

Both boys had their shirts off. Jason's back had tiny scratches all over it, his swordsman muscles rippling smoothly. Leo's skin, however, had many more scars—most of them from forge incidents. The ugly scar over his gut could be seen from afar, but Leo didn't seem to mind it anymore. His scrawny muscles were nothing compared to Jason's, but he was slowly catching up thanks to his work in the Bunker.

Leo's tail was out as well, whipping about playfully.

Annabeth was a bit worried for him in that aspect. He was so willing to let his imp side be known, now. It was quite the change from his attitude about himself a few weeks before. Annabeth was worried something might be changing within Leo himself, and soon he wouldn't want to take a full human form anymore.

Leo jumped into the air, sprouting pure red wings to keep himself afloat. He spiked the volleyball straight back into the girls' side. He and Jason cheered when the girls both dove and missed terribly.

"You cheated," Piper protested. "You can't just use your wings like that!"

Jason manipulated the winds and floated up to Leo's side. "You never said we couldn't fly," he shot back. Leo grinned triumphantly and the two boys high-fived.

Piper and Calypso shared an evil glance. The former titan nodded and Piper faced the boys.

"Crash," she said with heavy charmspeak.

Both boys fell suddenly dived headfirst into the sand. After a few seconds, they each came up for air.

"That's a foul," Leo complained.

"There aren't any fouls in volleyball," Calypso said with a grin.

"Besides," Piper agreed. "You never said I couldn't use charmspeak."

The girls high-fived.

Jason stood up and brushed some sand off. "Regardless, what's the score?"

Leo retracted his wings when he stood and flicked the sand off his tail. "We're winning 5-2."

Piper protested again. "That last one doesn't count! You still cheated."

Leo found the ball (which had happened to roll back to their side) and tossed it back. "Don't be a sore loser, Beauty Queen!"

Calypso whispered something in Piper's ear. Piper grinned and nodded.

She served the ball. As it sailed over the net, Piper shouted, "Leo, miss!"

Leo did a face-plant. His tail rested on his head as his butt went into the air.

"I believe that's 5-3, now," Calypso announced.

Jason grabbed the ball. "Well-played, babe!" He tossed it back.

Piper smiled innocently. "I try."

Leo spat out sand.

Annabeth kept watching as the match got increasingly difficult. The boys would shoot into the air, making it hard for the girls to see where the ball might end up. Piper would once in a while use her charmspeak to make the boys run into each other or miss the ball.

The game ended at 21-20. The girls won that last point by sheer willpower.

"Rematch!" Leo shouted. He flapped his wings in annoyance. "I demand a rematch!"

It seemed the others didn't mind replaying, so the boys served first.

_Leo's gotten so comfortable with his imp side,_ Annabeth noted. _I hope that doesn't mean he's changing for the worse._

Even as she thought this, Leo still laughed and had fun with his friends and girlfriend. Even while calling foul he had his old grin.

The game had to pause when the lunch horn sounded. Leo put on his camp shirt and flew over the net to kiss Calypso. Jason did likewise with Piper.

The couples held hands as they walked towards the dining pavilion.

"Leo, wait up," Annabeth called out.

Leo turned. He smiled. "Hey, Annabeth. What's up?"

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

He kissed Calypso good-bye and waved the other two off.

"Shoot," Leo said. "But hurry up; I'm hungry."

"I wanted to ask you about…being an imp."

Leo tilted his head. "Okay…?"

Annabeth cleared her throat. "Are you feeling okay? No voices in your head like the eidolons?"

Leo smiled. "I'm fine, Annabeth. There's no evil shadow lurking within me, I promise. If there was, I'd at least let Calypso know something was wrong."

"You seem to be embracing your imp side happily, though."

He shrugged. "Maybe I just want to ride it out? Flying is fun, and having a tail is pretty cool."

His tail waved at her. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

Leo looked at her with a serious expression. "I'm okay," he promised. "If I have to be an imp, I'm not gonna hide all of it. As Piper once told me, I'm already mostly imp thanks to my face, so why not? People stare at me anyway. Might as well give them something to stare at."

"You sure?" Annabeth asked. "You sure you're okay with people knowing you're an imp now? At first you seemed rather reluctant."

"Nah," Leo said. "I mean, yeah, it's a bit weird to get whispered at, to be known as a monster…but I don't like to dwell. You saw what happened when I dwelled on Calypso being possibly hurt by me a few weeks back. I nearly drowned in my despair. I have to move on, so embracing this imp side is how I'm doing it."

Annabeth stared at Leo. His brown eyes were sparkling and clear, not a hint of darkness edged them. He was wearing a serious face, crossing his arms in determination. His little devil tail was still, slightly curled.

This was the same old Leo, she decided. _If he was different, I would notice,_ she thought. _And Calypso would, too. This is our Leo, just with more imp features now._

The daughter of Athena relented. "Okay, I was just making sure."

Leo smiled and clapped her on the shoulder. "I'm fine, Annabeth," he said softly. "I promise."

He walked away, heading for the dining pavilion. His tail waved behind him loosely.

Annabeth huffed and smiled. "And I believe you."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Trust me, there's nothing sinister in the works here. Annabeth's just being her analytic self.**_

_**Seems Leo's gotten even more comfortable with himself, too :) Yay! Leo's no longer all angsty and stuff! **_


	20. Acceptance

**_Last chapter everybody! A nice even 20! Wha-bam!_**

**_10 days, 20 chapters! That's how hard the inspirational muses slapped me with this story!_**

**_I never wanted to drag the story out, nor make the ending that dramatic._**

_**I own nothing you recognize as canon.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Acceptance<strong>

Calypso snuggled deeper into her personal pillow, Leo. They were cuddled up together in Bunker Nine, waiting out a thunderstorm. The camp wasn't affected by it, but the Bunker wasn't technically _in_ camp, so the miniature hurricane outside kind of trapped the two inside.

That was perfectly fine with Calypso. Out in view of the public, Leo would only hold her hand, hug, or kiss her. They _never_ got a chance to snuggle up like this with people around.

The two were on a make-shift mattress, with pillows propped up against a clear wall. They were facing an old TV set, watching a few VHS movies to pass the time. Once in a while, Leo would pull out a bag of popcorn and heat it up with his hand.

They'd already IM'd Chiron that they were stuck in the bunker and couldn't come back until after the storm subsided, so the couple basically had the night to themselves. What to do…What could a teenage couple do alone in a huge, dark bunker with _no supervision_?

Yup. You guessed it.

Watch a marathon of the Lord of the Rings movies on VHS.

Calypso was very fascinated by the effects and graphics, sometimes getting so amazed by the shininess that she'd have to bother Leo and ask him what was going on. And the elves and orcs made her eyes light up. Her favorite race had to be the Ents; they were so gentle, yet fierce when it came to protecting their home.

They were halfway done with the third movie's first tape when Calypso felt vibrations. She lifted her head slightly.

Leo had fallen asleep. He was snoring gently, which Calypso found adorable. His tail was wrapped around her waist protectively, twitching slightly. Calypso gently prodded it, kind of liking the new addition to Leo's human form.

She had to admit, Leo had grown into himself since becoming an imp. He seemed much more confident in his own abilities. And a bit more enjoyable to be around (that was more for other people, not for herself—she loved Leo either way). She kind of wanted him to stay this way.

But she knew Leo wanted to be human again. He was probably feeling really self-conscious sometimes about being a 'monster'. She wouldn't force him to stay an imp. That wouldn't be fair to him if she selfishly said, "Stay an imp. You're better this way."

"Um, why are you poking my tail?"

Calypso jumped. She hadn't realized she was still prodding at the little devil tail. She looked up and met Leo's confused, sleepy eyes.

"Sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to wake you…"

Leo shrugged. He yawned. "No biggie. What'd I miss?"

"Um…" She had forgotten where they were now.

Leo smiled and looked at the screen. "Aw sweet, I love this part!"

About ten minutes later, Calypso started to doze. Leo's steady breathing and warm body temperature finally made her sleepy. She was just about to close her eyes when Leo poked her stomach.

"Hmm?" she murmured.

"I…I want to talk to you about something," Leo said, his voice tinged with nervousness.

Calypso blinked. "Okay," she said. "About…about what?"

"Um…" Leo shifted.

_Oh,_ she thought despairingly. _Is he going to…break up with me? After all we've been through?_

She supposed she'd seen it coming. With his new confidence, perhaps Leo desired something more than Calypso. Maybe someone who would do more than hold his hand or kiss him or cuddle him in private.

"Calypso, I…"

_Here it comes._

"Iwannastayanimp."

Calypso blinked. "Pardon? I didn't quite catch that…"

Leo took a deep breath. "I…I wanna…stay an imp."

It took a moment for her to process what he had just said. "You don't want to be human?"

Leo shifted around awkwardly. "I suppose not. I really like being an imp. I can fly, I got this cool tail, I got a better handle on my powers…"

Calypso's eyes widened.

"I mean it," Leo insisted. "I think the main reason I want to stay this way is…I don't know…I just feel _stronger_ than before. Not 'Rawr-I'm-gonna-rule-the-world' strong. More like…I feel stronger emotionally…I feel like becoming an imp helped me realize who I am."

"And who would you be?" Calypso asked.

Leo kissed her on the cheek. "Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, boyfriend of Calypso."

"Is that all?"

"It's all I need to be." Leo sighed, running his free hand through his curls. "Before, I always felt like I needed to prove myself. To tell myself (and others) that I'm strong and in control, even though I didn't feel that way a lot. Now that I'm a fire imp, I don't feel that need. My powers are in better control now, and I've come to terms with my…transformations."

Calypso tilted her head. "So, because of your newfound imp side, you don't feel so…_inferior_?"

Leo blushed. "Okay, yeah…that's one way to say it."

They kissed again. Calypso shifted and climbed on top of Leo's lap.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "There could be side effects to staying this way."

Leo nodded. "Yeah. But, I'm willing to deal with them as they come. As long as you're there with me."

"Of course."

Leo touched noses with her. "So what if I'm not human anymore? The only place I belong…is right here with you…"

"Cheesy," warned Calypso. "Becoming an imp has made you extremely cheesy."

"_One_ negative side effect," Leo said, rolling his eyes. "So sue me."

They kissed passionately.

Leo's hair ignited. His limbs grew longer, as did his torso, with golden scales beginning to grow on his legs. Wings sprouted from his back, and his temperature skyrocketed. He was now in full imp form.

Did Calypso freak out? Nope.

Mostly because this was a regular occurrence.

Okay, she really _enjoyed_ it when she made out with fire imp Leo. It was hot on _so_ many levels, and never once did she get burned.

Leo's long black claws entangled themselves into her hair. His tail wound its way around her midsection, tickling her stomach playfully.

Calypso let her fingers run along his bat-like wings. The leathery skin was cooler than his chest or arms, as thin as paper. They twitched at the touch.

Suddenly, Leo broke away, his eyes wide.

"What?" Calypso tore her hands away from Leo's wings. "What's wrong?"

Leo stared at her with the most serious expression.

"How are we gonna tell Hazel and Frank?" he asked.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: The end.**_

_**I always intended for Leo to stay an imp ;3 Because it's awesome. Leo with a devil tail? Come on, I dare you to say that's not cool!**_

_**Not gonna do a Frazel reveal. Use your imaginations on how that happens. I never wanted Hazel or Frank involved in this story (that wasn't rudely directed to you Matt, I just needed to say it)**_

_**Perhaps I'll do a twins story in this reality lol. That'd be pretty fun, wouldn't it? Instead of Tulio being internal, he'd look just like his **_**Papi_, while Espie got white flames for hair, silver-scaled dragon legs, and light blue wings (since she's inclined to be hotter than her twin). And just imagine that somehow Leo's imp genes reactivated Calypso's Titan ones just enough for Tulio to inherit the Titan healing and for both to get the Titan strength._**

**_Imagine: DEMITITAN FIRE IMPS! The world's gonna explode :D_**


End file.
